Wednesday, March 20, 2019

01.
Miasma - Changes,
1992 CD Album Lethal Records - NN1
Let us revisit another hidden treasure from the bowels of the second wave of death metal (or of the tail of the first wave, who cares). At the time this album did not seem worth entering a top 10 or anything, but in retrospective, it is quite an impressive effort, something like a semi-classic, at least immensely underrated. This death metal is clearly different from the major trends of the era. It does not sound like Morbid Angel, it is no imitator of the Swedish thing, it is different from the UK branch of the industry, and I could go on for an hour. At the same time, nobody will fall of their chair with a gasp of surprise when hearing it for the first time. It is "just" a very personal and talented effort in musical darkness with as much majesty as powerful delivery of speed bursts. A loose comparison can be made with early Vital Remains and Atrocity with more finesse through which one may discern the doom of the first Paradise Lost album. Musically more advanced than the average early 90s death metal record, this is a true headbangzer!
Remove brackets and unzip: [germ attack]
!ZER Miasma ZER!

Monday, March 18, 2019

01.
Noneuclid - The Crawling Chaos,
2006 CD Album Merciless Records - MR CD 019
02.
Noneuclid - Metatheosis,
2014 File MP3 Album x 10 Blood Music - none
The band name caught my eye, then their music subjugated my ears and all the connected meat. Noneuclid offer a world-class marvel of a technical-yet-super-catchy thrash metal. They play very fast and very well, as if Mekong Delta, Forced Entry and Atheist had merged with a bonus acceleration power. There are also also numerous (especially on the second masterpiece) segments that would not be out of scope on a Triptykon release. There is potent crunchy groove and massive heaviness between the speed bursts and the acrobatic riffs. There is mood and there is aggro, there is exhilaration and there is menace, there is sweetness and there are angles. Heads bang, necks break! And it sticks to the neuron! There is all the metal fan might need in two spectacular releases! Noneuclid til megazer!
Remove brackets and unzip: [pythagoras]
!ZER Noneuclid ZER!

Thursday, March 14, 2019

01.
Insted - Bonds Of Friendship,
1988 Vinyl LP Album Wishingwell Records - GRI6019-1
02.
Insted - What We Believe,
1990 Vinyl LP Album Epitaph, Epitaph - E-86408-1, E 86408-1
Am I having Alzheimer? Have I not posted this in a recent past? Cannot find a trace. Anyway, if in the mood for some standard NYHC-inpired positively friendly straight-edge sounds & words, click. I only keep these records out of nostalgia, they actually deliver a tasteless yet competent parody of Gorilla Biscuits. But they are very short - 6 or 7 minutes by side, so it's ok. That's a funny thing, especially about hardcore punk: this scene has always traditionally ranted against capitalism and whined about how much heavy metal was a nasty consumption operation, but it is the punk and grindcore scenes that systematically released super short, under 20 minutes "albums" and countless EPs - what a fucking waste of resources! Put your money where your mouth is and save the planet, save on paper and plastic: cram your three 15 minutes albums on a single disc. Even better, release nothing and stop touring. or shut up about it.
The Insted lyrics are particularly insufferable. 30 years have passed and it shows.
Remove brackets and unzip: [where is my A]
!ZER Insted ZER!

Monday, March 4, 2019

01.
Apostate Viaticum - Before The Gates Of Gomorrah,
2017 CD Album Invictus Productions - IP104 Visit invictusproductions666.bandcamp.com
Black death and doom! And a lot more death. This fantastic album is made out of regular components - nothing you have not heard before, but the sum of its part comes out as an entirely autonomous, ferocious beast. So, yes, death metal! But music death metal, not demonstration death metal. They want you to be devoured, not to take notes and plot graphs. There is a bit of Ripping Corpse going on, some sludgy avalanches, and more black masses. it is brutal but not mindless, it is savage but controlled, it is heavy with a sense of architecture, not for the sake of testosterone. The Ancient Testament is revisited upside down and heads that previously were not banging now bang furiously. Grand declaration of zer!
Remove brackets and unzip: [prostate vatican]
!ZER Apostate Viaticum ZER!